by Tricia Barr
Sitting on the other side of Savannah was Seri’s grandmother.
Seri had very few memories of her family—she’d been “orphaned” as a five year-old, and had only ever told Oberon small details she remembered. A camping trip, lullabies, and other such things.
Gabriel continued. “We were in Maine when we lost her. Savannah was pregnant with Tobias, although we didn’t know it at the time. The vampires struck fast, and struck hard. My father was killed in the attack, and after the vamps leveled our house, little Seri was nowhere to be found. We wanted to go back and search for her, but it was too dangerous. Vamps stayed close by, watching and waiting to see if we’d return. And little Seri... We always assumed the worst happened to her.”
Oberon set his jaw as he stared at the dancing flames in the rock fireplace. “Somehow, she got away. But the vampires got her in the end.” A lump formed in his throat as he said it, and the image of her lifeless body lying in a pool of blood flashed through his mind.
“But she found her life-mate before the end,” Savannah said. “At least she was able to experience the joy of gryphon love.”
Oberon nodded, tears stinging his eyes. “Yes. I fell in love with her the day we met. We were quite inseparable after my father found Seri and brought her to The Island.”
“The Island?” Tobias said. “What’s that?”
Oberon chuckled, managing to tear his eyes away from the flames. “The Island was a school for shifters that stood for fifty years. We had students from all over attend. Within its walls, we felt protected and safe to study and learn how to best use our abilities.”
“That sounds like a place of paradise,” Gwendolyn said.
“It sounds like a huge target for the vampires,” Gabriel corrected.
Oberon shrugged. “It was well hidden. It took the vampires half a century to find it.”
Savannah sniffed, and Oberon found her crying. “That’s when you lost Seri, isn’t it?”
Oberon didn’t have it in his heart to tell them about the baby. His eyes marked June, and he could almost imagine a child of his own, not much older than she, sitting in front of the fire.
“That’s when I lost everything,” Oberon said distantly.
“Except for me,” Ren said from the corner of the room. Oberon almost forgot the kitsune was present, he’d been so unusually quiet. But Ren was smart enough to know that this was an important moment, and Oberon was grateful for it.
“Yes, Ren has been my closest friend through thick and thin,” Oberon said. “I lost Seri that terrible day, but I also lost my parents. A lot of shifters died that day. I thought...” The lump in his throat grew, and his voice threatened to fail him. “For a long time, I thought I was the last gryphon in the world.”
“We’re still around,” Gabriel said. “But there are so few of us left.”
“What happened to the school?”
Oberon glanced over at June, surprised that the young lady chimed into the conversation.
“It was destroyed,” he said. “But I helped start another one. It’s hidden from the vampires, and is the safest place for shifters. Students are guided by teachers and are taught how to master their abilities. History, biology, and mathematics are among a few of the classes we provide, and—” he stopped himself, smiling as he dropped his eyes to the cabin floor. “Forgive me. That was turning into a recruitment pitch.”
“I want to go,” June said.
“That’s out of the question,” Tobias countered as soon as June spoke, as if he’d known she’d say it. “Did you not just hear the story about The Island? An assembly of shifters is just asking for a vampire massacre.”
“They can’t reach us,” Oberon said. “The school is at the bottom of a lake. The entire structure is built with copper alloys running throughout. Entering the school would bring death to any vampire.”
The group fell silent, and the crackling flames in the fireplace seemed to grow louder. It was Seri’s grandmother who spoke, her voice aged and soft.
“Juniper is no longer a child. A school of shifters sounds like the right place for her. She has nobody here she can relate to.”
“We’re not tearing this family apart,” Tobias argued. “School or no school, June’s place is here with her own kind.”
Oberon nodded. He didn’t come searching for gryphons to cause family disputes. “Just know that the door will always remain open. June will always be welcome at our school.”
Tobias sat back, noticeably relaxing.
Savannah cleared her throat. “Did you and Seri consider having any children?”
There it is, he thought. It was hard enough to bring Seri up, let alone their unborn child.
He sucked in his lower lip for a moment before answering. “She was pregnant when The Island fell. When she —”
A loud chirping sounded, and Oberon nearly fell out of the chair.
“What is that?” he asked, casting his eyes about to find the source of the noise.
The Vogels were already on their feet, panic lacing each of their faces.
“Proximity alert,” Gabriel hissed. “Someone tripped the Sanctum sensors.”
Ren suddenly disappeared, phasing into the wall.
“Preen my feathers,” Savannah gasped. “Your friend just walked through the wall.”
Oberon didn’t respond, but ran to the nearest window. The sun had already set, and he couldn’t really see much. His breath steamed the glass, which didn’t help his visibility.
“Did anybody know you were coming here?” Gabriel asked.
Oberon shook his head. “The seer who sent us this way was the only one.”
“Would your seer have told anybody else where you were going?”
Oberon considered the question for a short moment. Would Delphine sell him out? Even if she’d informed Eduard about his quest, he highly doubted the general would get involved. He had bigger issues to see to. “She knows just how important finding gryphons is to me. Whoever these visitors are, I don’t think they came from her.”
Ren rematerialized in the living room, his eyes wide. “Vampires. They’re ransacking one of the other cabins right now.”
Tobias threw Oberon an accusing glare. “They followed you here.”
Oberon tasted the terror in the room. It was thick and growing thicker.
“That’s impossible,” he said. “The vampires wouldn’t know about my quest.”
“They have Myreen,” Ren reminded. “Draven could have discovered from her that you’re no longer the director. He wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to hunt down a gryphon.”
Oberon set his jaw. “If that’s the case, he just struck gold.” He looked at the scared Vogels surrounding him. They were looking to him for help. They were looking to him as a leader.
And Oberon realized that this was his second chance. This was the opportunity he’d missed at La Framboise Island. He wouldn’t let the vampires hurt Seri’s family. His family. He would protect them, or die trying.
“You all need to shift. Right now. Shift into your gryphon forms and take to the skies.”
“What about you?” Tobias asked.
Oberon looked at Ren. “We’ve got some payback to take care of, don’t we?”
Red fur sprouted along Ren’s skin, bursting through the clothing the Vogels lent to him. His nose elongated, and his ears rose farther up his head, coming to black points. With a swish, nine tails blossomed like a budding rose behind him, already crackling with electricity.
“I’m ready to rock and roll,” Ren said. Without another word, the kitsune phased through the wall once again.
Turning his gaze back to the Vogels—who were now all clustered together in terror—Oberon pointed to the safest exit and said, “Out the back door. Don’t worry about your clothes. Just get outside, shift, and fly away.”
They didn’t need more prodding. Savannah led the way, holding Grandma Vogel’s hand and guiding her. Once they’d filed out, Oberon ran for the main entrance and
left the comfortable cabin and stepped into the harsh chill of the Canadian Rockies.
Crashing noises were coming from one of the other cabins, and it enraged Oberon to know they were desecrating his family’s sanctuary.
“Hey, Draven’s little pets!” he called out, still in human form. “Looking for someone?”
The door peeled from its hinges and was tossed aside. A dark mist hovered at the doorway, then slowly faded into a person. No, a vampire. Two more appeared behind him.
“Oberon Rex, the infamous gryphon,” he jeered, taking small steps forward. He was in no hurry to start a fight.
Oberon extended his arms out to the sides. “I’m afraid I don’t know you. Where’s Draven? Too busy to come himself?”
Two other vampires emerged from the cabin, revealing five in total. Oberon wondered how many more were hiding within.
They began to fan out, slowly closing in on his position.
The lead vampire snickered. “It’s mighty big of you to think you’re worth Draven’s time. But he’s got bigger fish to fry, so to speak. You’re just a minor detail. Like a little dust bunny on a great tapestry that needs some cleaning.”
Oberon popped his knuckles, as if preparing for a fist fight. Of course, he’d never try such a foolish thing with a vampire. “Actually, I think he’s scared of me. The last time we fought, he barely stepped away alive.”
A chorus of laughter erupted from the vampires now surrounding him, and he took the moment of distraction to call upon the sky above. In an instant, black storm clouds blotted out the starry sky like a jar of ink spilling over.
“I think you underestimate us, pal,” the lead vampire said. “And Draven.”
Thunder boomed overhead, and Oberon began to shift. His brown feathers grew like thick hairs, and his form increased. Taloned claws tore through his shoes. Lighting flashed nearby just as he finished the transformation, causing the converging vampires to stop.
“And you underestimate a gryphon protecting his family.”
With his powerful wings, he launched himself into the air, then summoned a mighty wind to blow. The vampires toppled over from the monstrous gust, uselessly trying to grab at the snowy ground that continually gave way before them.
“Turn back now,” he yelled, sending his voice on the wind. “If you don’t, your doom awaits you.”
Oberon knew that Ren was useless as long as the wind kept up—he’d be blown away just as quickly as the vampires. But he’d only summoned the wind to disorient the attackers. With his will, he subdued the wind, and it petered out with one final breeze.
The vampires got to their feet, looking at each other, communicating with their expressions. For a moment, Oberon wondered if they were going to retreat. And then the hulking vampire held a finger to his ear. Even from how far away Oberon was, he heard the vampire say, “Shoot him down, Brody.”
From behind, there was a resounding clap, and Oberon felt a slight displacement in his right wing. Flying higher, he angled to get a look at whoever and whatever had shot at him.
To the west stood Ren, his lightning tails sizzling with electricity. Next to him, a beheaded vampire body crumpled to the ground, his head off to the side a foot or so.
Ren raised a paw and gave him a lazy salute. “Just like the good old days,” the kitsune yelled up to him. “I’ve still got your back.” He swirled his tails about as he analyzed the other vampires.
“He killed Brody!” the front vampire said, pointing a pale finger at Ren. “He killed our brother! Kill the fox!”
The five charged forward faster than sight, but Oberon was grateful he didn’t need to see the oncoming enemy to strike them with bolts of lightning. Electricity had a way of finding conductors just fine on its own.
From the sky, five individual bolts plummeted like spears, forking and angling until they struck their targets.
In an instant the five vampires were blown back, thrown farther than what the wind had done. And the lightning didn’t stop raining down on them. Fluttering down to the leader, Oberon watched him convulse as unharnessed energy immobilized him. The vampire’s eyes were wide, and Oberon wondered if he was even capable of hearing. It didn’t matter much, though.
“I learned my lesson over twenty years ago,” he said. “A vampire can never be struck with too much lightning.”
Releasing his hold on the single bolt, Oberon pounced on top of the large vampire, who was still quaking on the snowy ground, as if the bolt was still striking him.
With a quick snap of his beak, he popped the vampire’s head off like a bottle cap, then flung it away.
“Ren, let’s make quick work of the rest,” Oberon called out, releasing his hold on the four remaining vampires.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Ren replied. Like a shade in the night, the kitsune ran from vampire to vampire, ending their miserable existences with crackling blows.
Oberon looked up into the sky, dispelling the storm clouds and revealing the pale moon and blinking stars. Even night could not contain light.
High above him, he could see the Vogels circling like vultures over carrion. But these were more than vultures waiting for an easy meal. These were gryphons. They were family.
“I just did a perimeter sweep,” Ren said, coming to Oberon’s side. “I think we’re in the clear.”
“Thank you, my friend,” Oberon said. “I’ll gather the Vogels.”
Launching himself back into the night sky, he pumped his wings as hard as he could, climbing up to his family. In no time, he was among them. June was still struggling, but Tobias and Gwendolyn were doing a good job keeping her wings steady. It was the gray feathered Grandma Vogel that surprised Oberon the most. Like the gracefulness of a ballerina, she danced through the sky, seemingly a youth enjoying her freedom. He watched her with marvel.
“That was quite a sight, Oberon,” Gabriel said, flying close to him. “You must have a lot of experience fighting vampires.”
“More than I should,” he replied. “But come, let’s return down to the Sanctum and get you all back inside the warmth. It’s been a tough night.”
***
The cabin the vampires had attacked from was a complete mess. They hadn’t just overturned furniture—they’d destroyed it beyond repair.
“We’ll have to build new furniture,” Tobias said picking up part of a headboard and shaking his head.
“You all have the choice to remain,” Oberon started, “but I’d highly advise against staying here. It’s likely the vampires notified Draven about our location before they attacked. No doubt, there’ll be more who come.”
Tobias sighed heavily, throwing the mangled wood to the floor.
“Where would we go?” Gabriel asked. “With you? Back to the shifter school you spoke of?”
Oberon looked him in the eye. “The Dome could house you all, at least temporarily. But it is a school. If any of you are willing to teach—” he glanced at June, “—or be taught, there is always room.”
Oberon?
He frowned at the voice in his head. He’d never experienced anything quite like it. It was a girl’s voice, emerging like a hand from a wall.
Oberon, can you hear me?
“Am I going mad? What is going on?” he mumbled, then felt the eyes of all the Vogels look in his direction.
Whoops! No time to explain. This is Kenzie MacLugh, the selkie. We’ve met before. I’m Myreen’s friend.
“What are you doing in my head?” he said, shoving his fingers through his brown hair. It had been a long time since he’d felt so unsettled.
No time! The Dome is under attack. We need you right now!
Chapter 50: Myreen
Myreen stared at the Dome as the pressure of the kraken began to cause the glass to groan and crack. But there was something else just beyond the massive body of the kraken, something that turned her blood cold. She could see the blood red sunset through the water.
The warm hues cast an eerie glow, one that shouldn’t
even be possible considering how deep the Dome was beneath the surface of the lake. Which meant that either the Dome was being ripped from its place along the bed of the lake, or the water was ebbing. Based on the fact that she could see Draven walking along the bottom of the lake, a gleeful smile on his devilish face, the sides of his neck moving with an unnatural flow, Myreen was certain that the water was receding.
Draven had done it. He was a hybrid. And her blood had given him this power.
Myreen closed her eyes and tried to reach out to the disappearing lake, but it was no use. Water manipulation had always been her weakest ability.
A group of kitsune students gathered around the edges of the Dome, under the direction of Nik and Juliet. They sent bolts of electricity through the glass and toward the kraken’s tentacles, hoping to shake him free.
The kraken gave a monstrous roar, lifting arm after arm away, only to relatch onto the glass moments later.
Myreen thought she could see Draven laughing, though the water along the bed had grown murky from all the activity. He must have the kraken under his control. Myreen wondered where such a beast could have come from. But another roar from the beast reminded Myreen of the hideous screech they’d heard when leaving the citadel.
Myreen’s eyes widened as she saw mer heading into the water. The mer trio were among them, and Alessandra looked Myreen’s way, giving her a nod before ducking into the secret exit. Going out there was suicide.
“I have to join them,” Myreen said, but Kol’s hand on her arm steadied her even as it held her back.
“And do what? You’ve said it yourself, your mer powers aren’t your biggest strength.”
“I can’t just let everyone around here die for me! I have to do something. This has to end.”
“And what are you going to do? Surrender to Draven again? Myreen, he’s not here for you. Not this time. He won’t stop until we’re destroyed.”
Myreen swallowed as she surveyed the mounting destruction. Red hair caught her eye as Delphine’s slender form ducked into the secret exit, but not before giving Myreen a knowing wink.